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The Catholic Conference of Illinois today joined several statewide pro-life organizations in asking Illinois lawmakers that no money be appropriated for taxpayer-funded abortions in the upcoming budget. In a letter sent to lawmakers, CCI noted that legislation signed into law last fall authorizing taxpayer money to be used for elective abortions for Medicaid participants and state employees did not include an appropriation. Money for the newly authorized ...

Gov. Bruce Rauner today called for the reinstatement of the death penalty for individuals convicted of mass shootings or the fatal shooting of a police officer. His call came in his written amendatory veto of House Bill 1468, which requires a 72-hour waiting period before the purchase of an assault weapon. The governor introduces a new burden of proof -- "beyond all doubt" -- as opposed to the current "beyond a reasonable doubt" -- for those individuals charged with ...

Catholics from across the state today joined an Environmental Lobby Day at the Illinois Capitol sponsored by the Illinois Environmental Council, Sierra Club and Faith in Place. Participants asked lawmakers to sponsor a resolution honoring Pope Francis' 2015 ground-breaking encyclical Laudato Si', as well as support legislation creating a program for low-income residents to get access to clean, affordable water in light of the recent water crisis in Flint, Michigan.    

April 16, 2018 show Sister Jean, chaplain to the Loyola Ramblers men’s basketball team, joins Bob to talk about her recent celebrity status attained when the team reached the Sweet Sixteen and the Final Four. Next, Bishop Joseph Perry, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago, discusses recent progress in the canonization cause for Fr. Augustus Tolton, the first African-American priest in America. Then, Don Carlson, executive director of Illinois People’s Action, explains Senate Bill 2843, which ...

Legislation providing for the ratification of the federal Equal Rights Amendment has surfaced in the Illinois legislature – more than 35 years after the deadline set by Congress. SJRCA 4 calls for Illinois to approve the ERA, requiring a three-fifths vote from both the Illinois Senate and the House. The measure requires no signature from the governor for final approval. The ERA prohibits the denial of ...

The Catholic Conference of Illinois will join advocacy groups on April 26 at the state Capitol for an Environmental Lobby Day that will in part celebrate Pope Francis' ground-breaking encyclical Laudato Si'. Participants will be encouraged to visit their state representatives and senator at their Springfield offices to ask that they co-sponsor a legislative resolution honoring the 2015 encyclical that offers a frank look at what the ...

Catholic bishops across the country and Illinois today marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Baptist minister and civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) joined the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., in tolling the shrine's bells 39 times to honor the years King lived before he was shot by James Earl Ray while ...

Cardinal Blase Cupich today traveled to Springfield to hold a press conference at the Illinois Capitol on his concerns regarding the growing problem of gun violence, as state lawmakers discuss various proposals that would limit access to firearms. The Cardinal did not support any specific legislation. He recalled the recent Feb. 14 mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead after 19-year-old ...

The spring session of the Illinois legislature is only a few days old, and an effort to undo the new Tax Credit Scholarship program is already under way. Senate Bill 2236 attacks the new program that allows low-income and working-class children to receive scholarships to attend a school of their choice by tying the program to the unpredictable budget process every year. Sponsored by state ...